Rory still smiling at US Open
Fred Daly a Northern Irish professional won The Open Championship in 1947 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake and was the first player from the island to have won the event until Padraig Harrington in 2007 at Royal Birkdale – which he repeated in 2008. In that same year the Dubliner bridged the gap in the PGA Championship when at Oakland Hills he saw off the challenge of Sergio Garcia, and in doing so, became the first European to win the event since Tommy Armour in 1930.
Daly was born in Portrush, County Antrim and was the professional at the Balmoral Club in Belfast when he won the Open. He died in 1990 and was not to see his feat emulated by Harrington. Or the feat of another Portrush born golfer, Graeme McDowell, who last summer made further history by ending the forty year drought at the US Open at Pebble Beach, repeating a feat last done by Tony Jacklin. This summer at the Congressional in Maryland it looks like there will be another Northern Ireland repeat with Rory McIlroy entering the final round of the US Open holding a record breaking eight shot lead.
Like Harrington’s back to back Open wins, the Holywood golfer looks like he won’t let the grass grow after GMAC’s breakthrough last year, given the manner in which is he playing this week.
Whatever is in the water in the North East part of the island should now be bottled as the conveyor belt of talent continues in the wake of the achievements of Darren Clarke, Ronan Rafferty, David Feherty, and the generations previous such as Jimmy Heggarty, back to the time of Fred Daly and Norman Drew. The current European Tour is alive and well with the magic of Gareth Maybin and Michael Hoey, and the likes of Gareth Shaw, Jonathan Caldwell and Simon Thornton, still chasing the dream. With Portstewart’s, Paul Cutler, looking set also to make the breakthrough from the amateur ranks in due course.
For former Ryder Cup star, David Feherty, who has been resident in the US for a few decades now, the reasons behind all this talent may again prove beyond explanation as it did the last time he interviewed McIlroy at Quail Hollow in 2010 – after the 20 year old walked off the course with a record breaking round of 62.
Although since that day the warnings have been coming in the majors with increased speed and it was no surprise he caused a stir at St Andrews with his opening round, or the improved consistency over three days at the Masters.
With that Sunday in April still fresh in his mind McIlroy and his caddie JP Fitzgerald have been dreaming of the moment when they could set the record straight and Sunday at The Congressional it will no doubt happen. Which for the Americans though, such news will be another reminder that for another twelve months the US Open trophy will be everywhere but on the PGA Tour, adding to the departure of the Masters to South African Charl Schwartzel on the European Tour, and the fact that Martin Kaymer of Germany will return to Georgia to defend the PGA Championship later in the year at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
If you add the Accenture World Match play title held by Luke Donald, and The Open held by Louis Oosthuizen and then the 2010 Ryder Cup by Europe, it is a momentary reminder that in the absence of Tiger Woods the American golf cupboards are currently very bare.
But for the fans watching behind the ropes in Bethesda those global trophy battles will not matter, as they are seeing a scintillating display of golf from a Rory McIlroy that exudes everything that is good about the game – manner, poise, talent, enjoyment and a carefree swagger. A breath of fresh air from the over intensity, ill temper and swearing that has afflicted Tiger Woods in more recent years, which for younger fans watching must be more enjoyable.
However the comparisons are closer between the two in other ways, given their precocious talent, and could be more so after Sunday as Woods won his first major at Augusta when he was 22 in 1997. So did Jack Nicklaus in 1962 when he won the US Open.
Last May McIlroy turned 22 years of age and in collecting the trophy on Sunday is set to break those records and become the youngest ever winner.
One imagines it is only the first of many.
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